While ACCCEcontinues to claim that “this was an isolated incident involving the wrongdoing of someone working for a subcontractor” – an excuse first put forward by Jack Bonner, who blamed a rogue temporary employee for the forgeries – Congress is investigating the extent to which Bonner and ACCCE went to mislead lawmakers.

The fake letters were sent to at least three Democratic Congressmembers, and claimed to represent opposition to the climate legislation from nine different groups, including senior citizens’ organizations, Hispanic and women’s advocacy groups, and the NAACP. So far, investigators have confirmed 13 forged letters sent to the three lawmakers, and dozens more letters are currently being probed to determine if they were authentic messages or more of Bonner’s forgeries.

The Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, led by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), has asked ACCCE to come clean about the letter writing campaign. Despite the fact that ACCCE learned about Bonner’s forgeries two days before the critical vote on Waxman-Markey, the coal lobby group failed to notify the lawmakers who received the fake letters until long after the vote. Two of the three recipients, Pennsylvania Democratic Reps. Kathy Dahlkemper and Chris Carney, voted against the legislation, while the third, Virginia Rep. Tom Perriello, voted for it.

“The deliberate inaction prior to the House vote and the extended silence after the vote—some 40 days after ACCCE knew what had happened—raises serious concerns,” Rep. Markey wrote in a letter to ACCCE President and CEO Stephen L. Miller earlier this month.

Senior Center, Inc., a Virginia elderly services group, says it felt “victimized” by the Bonner forgery on its letterhead. NAACP representatives say they were “appalled” by the forged letter sent on their behalf by Bonner, and are “diametrically opposed” to its message. NAACP Senior Vice President for Advocacy Hilary O. Shelton, said the Bonner forgery scheme “begs the question of how many times have they done this, to deceive the United States Congress.”

Chairman Markey and the Congress need to continue investigating ACCCE’s entire operation to see how many other instances of potential fraud and misrepresentation may exist. Climate change poses a major national security threat to the U.S., as DeSmogBlog reported yesterday, and America needs to have an honest debate over how to craft a legislative action plan to confront the climate and energy challenges. Forgery and Astroturf tricks have no place in that honest debate, and those responsible for these shenanigans should be held accountable.

Previous Comments

A comment on:
Congress Discovers Another Forged Advocacy Letter
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/08/congress_discovers_another_for.html?hpid=sec-politics
Rather helpfully gives this list, but there is no further information given apart from that below:

Quote
Bonner and Associates has for a long, long time labored under a rather dark cloud in terms of reputation. They have long been an employer of last resort. Anyone managing to get fired by an enterprise on this level should just leave town. Catch the next bus back to Podunk.
That being said Bonner was just a sub-contractor. I hear the ACCCE phoney front group is the brainchild of a third rate gang of hacks out of Alexandria run by yet another crazy alcoholic closeted pedo tethered to no moral or ideological hitching post. “We’re in it only for the money, honey! The whole thing is fake and the following should be very proud of their association:

I certainly don’t recognise some of these, but a number are familiar. Some might deem this a list of the usual suspects! For example, at least two feature in the IREA letter.

IREA Quote ** my emphasis
…,There are other groups that are interested in the issue of global warming and the concerns about its costs. Koch industries is working with other large corporations, including *AEP* and the *Southern Company* on possibly financing a film that would counteract ‘An inconvenient Truth’. Koch has also decided to finance a coalition that very likely will be administered throughout the National Association of Manufacturers…,IREA Endquote

I recognize a fair number of them.
Most are no surprise.
The list is at ACCCE.

Maybe DeSMogBlog would like to poke Jeff Immelt about GE Energy, which is odd, since I think Immelt &GE are actually quite serious about ecomagination, i.e., as best as I can tell, that isn’t greenwashing alone.

Democracy is utterly dependent upon an electorate that is accurately informed. In promoting climate change denial (and often denying their responsibility for doing so) industry has done more than endanger the environment. It has undermined democracy.

There is a vast difference between putting forth a point of view, honestly held, and intentionally sowing the seeds of confusion. Free speech does not include the right to deceive. Deception is not a point of view. And the right to disagree does not include a right to intentionally subvert the public awareness.